Ways to Switch Up a Monochrome Wardrobe

It wouldn’t take a regular reader of my blog to notice that I love wearing colourful clothes. My school uniform was all black aside from a crisp white shirt which more or less represented the way that I felt about my school days perfectly. From the moment I left, I embraced colour as much as I possibly could. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a walking rainbow but I really appreciate how wearing colour can really bring life to an outfit.

Sometimes though, the occasion doesn’t call for a lot of colour and some people just don’t like to wear colourful pieces which I do appreciate. I get lots of messages from girls that love the monochrome look or prefer to wear neutrals so I thought I’d share with you my thoughts on how to change up your wardrobe while still sticking to an all black or a black and white theme.

I love the way that black and white work together; it is the ultimate pairing that looks fabulous on everyone and is ALWAYS in fashion. That doesn’t mean you have to stick to plain pieces though and today I’m going to show you how you can switch up a monochrome wardrobe to include pattern, print and colour!

The fastest way to change up a monochrome wardrobe while still keeping your black and white colour scheme is to inject a bit of pattern into your closet. Tribal, aztec and kaleidoscope prints are big during the summer months while florals and polkadots are adored all year round.

Take these trousers for example. They’re smart but have a great floral rose design on them that works equally as well for daytime as they do for night. As the block colour on the trousers is black, with the flowers in white, they’re super flattering and very bold. They’re in a textured, stretchy material too which makes them so comfortable to wear and the slim leg is uber flattering, especially if you have a large tummy like I do. I have to buy trousers to fit my stomach which often means that they’re super wide on the legs whereas these are a really good, tapered fit.

By injecting a pattern into your wardrobe you can stick to black and white but still add a bit of extra life and soul into your outfits. While I’ve paired bright items with these trousers here, I’ve also been wearing them with a top similar to this one and my black waterfall jacket on colder days for a smart and sophisticated monochrome look. A statement necklace instantly takes this outfit from day to night and something in a silver tone works best in my opinion.

If you want to add pattern to your monochrome wardrobe but without such a stark bold contrast as there is between the super dark black and bright white of the floral trousers, then I’d suggest a piece like the Warehouse Dial Print Coverup* from House of Fraser. This is essentially a kimono from their holiday shop however it can be worn at home as well as when away on holiday.

The great thing about this piece is that although it is monochrome, it is more muted; the white is more of a neutral, natural hue so it doesn’t provide so much of a bold contrast against the black which is ideal for those that don’t want anything too in your face. As the gorgeous detailing on the kimono is so intricate, it really is a beautiful piece to look at and will transform an all black outfit. I think that this cover up in particular would look fantastic over black skinny jeans and a black cami, heels and a long necklace for a night out. For holidays, it would be equally as suited to popping on over your bikini while at the pool as it would be to pairing it with white linen trousers and a black vest top for supper at a beach side restaurant.

My final suggestion as to how to change up a monochrome wardrobe would be to add contrasting accessories like in this post here where I added some of my favourite coral pieces to a work wear outfit.

If you’re wanting to dabble in colour, this is the perfect place to start as you can go as bold or as subtle as you like from wearing a grey item right through to neons!

Do you like to wear a lot of colour in your wardrobe or do you prefer an ultra stylish monochrome look?

This post is fab, I'm not one for adding a lot of colour to my wardrobe, I live in black, white, grey and navy. Mixing it up with prints is excellent advice, you don't always need to be in plain clothes, a quirky print is key to jazzing up any outfit.Georgia xGeorgia Petite